Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 893

Chapter 893

“My child.”

“…”

For an instant, those two words emptied my mind entirely.

‘Child?’

Did the Blood Demon just refer to Cheonma as his daughter?
I shifted my gaze toward her.

Crack—!

Her face was a mask of fury, her eyes burning with a fierce glare.
The sheer hostility and murderous aura pouring from her was enough to make my skin prickle. I had never seen Cheonma’s features so contorted.

‘What is this?’

What in the world is going on?

‘Is she truly his daughter?’

While I was still reeling from the shock—

“Hm.”

A voice sounded from much closer than anticipated.
I snapped my head toward it.

The Blood Demon was now standing directly before me.

The metallic reek of blood flooded my senses, and a wave of nausea rose in my throat. His entire presence was saturated with the overwhelming odor.

“You see your father after so long, and this is the face you make?”

His attention remained completely focused on Cheonma. He showed not the slightest interest in me.

“You don’t appear happy.”

The Blood Demon spoke with a slight, mocking smile.

Crack.

My fist clenched tight.

Whoosh!
Fire ignited around my hand and I launched the blistering heat straight at him.

But then—

The Blood Demon’s eyes moved to me.

[Cease.]

—!!!

“Ugh!?”

In that moment, my body locked completely.

I struggled to move, but couldn’t even manage a twitch.
That feeling—I knew it intimately.

‘…Dragon’s Voice!’

How could I not recognize it? It was an ability I used myself. The Blood Demon had just used Dragon’s Voice on me.

Creeak—!

‘Damn it.’

Every joint in my body was fixed as if I had turned to stone.
The pressure was so immense I couldn’t even properly circulate my energy.

“You will remain where you are, boy. Sadly, I have many things to discuss with my daughter.”

The Blood Demon addressed me, tilting his head slightly.

Swish—!!!

Something slashed down violently onto the spot where he had just been standing.

Boom—!!

It was a strike from Cheonma’s sword.

“Hm.”

The Blood Demon let out a soft sound as he observed it.

Hiss—!!

The blade, forged purely from dark energy, drove into the earth, its shadowy reach stretching toward the Blood Demon.
The demonic force that had saturated the area surged toward him like a beast baring its fangs.

Crack—!!

Giant, thorn-like spikes erupted from the ground, shooting forth to impale him.

He simply tilted his head slightly and then—

Flick.

Boom!

With a casual motion of his hand, he completely shattered the thorns.

“Such spirit. It pleases me.”

The Blood Demon smiled, appearing amused.
Cheonma moved to stand in front of me, her sword aimed directly at him.

It was as if she meant to protect me.
My body was still paralyzed.

“A rather forceful greeting.”

“…”

“Is this not too severe a welcome for a father who has traveled far to see his child?”

“Disappear.”

Her voice was sharp, like a dagger tipped with poison.
Even so, the Blood Demon’s expression did not change.

Chuckle.

He gave a dry laugh and idly lifted a finger.

The scent of blood around him intensified.

Hoooooo—!!

A crimson energy began to swirl, gathering in his palm to form a sword.

“The time has come, daughter.”

“…”

“You will accompany me.”

Hearing this, my thoughts raced.
‘Accompany him?’ Did that mean he was here to take Cheonma away?

Why now, after so much time?
Was it really because she was his daughter?

I had previously wondered about a link between the Blood Demon and Cheonma, but if they were truly parent and child, that altered everything.

And then—

‘What of Wi Seol-ah?’

The mere idea sent a shock through my system.
My muscles cried out, and my bones felt on the verge of splintering.

“I refuse.”

Cheonma’s voice rang out, thick with emotion.

“Is that so?”

The Blood Demon tilted his head slightly, as if her answer was no surprise.

“A pity.”

Slowly, he raised his hand.

“I take no pleasure in correction, yet…”

Cheonma surged forward, her demonic energy exploding outward.

“…at times it is required.”

Boom—! Screeeech—!!

Their weapons met, unleashing a tremendous shockwave.

The force of the impact sent dark and crimson energies spiraling together into a massive vortex.

Clang! Clang!

Sparks and shards of power flew in all directions.
Within the roar of their conflict, only brief illuminations were visible.

After what seemed an age—

Whoosh—!!

The vortex suddenly vanished, leaving the two figures standing where they had been.

But a difference was clear.

“Haah…”

Cheonma was unsteady on her feet, her body littered with injuries. The Blood Demon, in contrast, stood calmly with his hands behind his back, completely unharmed.

‘…How?’

How could the Blood Demon be this strong?

Cheonma, who had once single-handedly defeated the Three Lords, was being overwhelmed to this degree?

I knew he was powerful—he had fought all five of the supreme masters in the past—but this…

‘No.’

This wasn’t just about power.
Even immobilized, I could see it.

Cheonma wasn’t fighting with her usual precision.
Her current style was raw and bestial, like a wild animal trying to rip its foe apart.

The refined skill she normally employed was absent, replaced by pure, destructive fury.

Her speed and strength were still immense, but…

‘It means nothing if it doesn’t connect.’

She couldn’t land a blow on the Blood Demon.

And there was another reason for her severe disadvantage.

It was me.

I had wondered if it was my imagination, but it was undeniable now.
The Blood Demon had been strategically aiming attacks toward me throughout the exchange, compelling Cheonma to repeatedly shield me.

‘Why won’t she just focus on the fight?’

This was ridiculous.
And furthermore—

‘How long will this paralysis last?’

Creeak.

I had been straining against it for what felt like forever, yet my body remained frozen.

‘Is this not a normal Dragon’s Voice?’

It felt different from the one I used.
The effect was similar, but the nature of the power was entirely distinct.

From my understanding, Dragon’s Voice is ineffective against opponents of similar or greater strength.
It might stop them for a heartbeat, but the backlash makes it a dangerous gamble.

But this…

‘The fact that he can hold me like this…’

It could mean only one of two things:
His Dragon’s Voice was fundamentally different from my own, or—

‘…Is the difference in our power really this great?’

It meant the gulf between the Blood Demon and me was vast.

I found it hard to believe.

‘Is that even possible?’

My current strength ranked me among the top of the Ten Great Masters, potentially a match for the Three Lords themselves.
To think the disparity could be so enormous…

‘It’s unthinkable.’

I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.

Hooo…

Cheonma released a low breath.
Once again, she had positioned herself in front of me.

‘Move. Just get out of the way.’

I screamed the words in my mind, but they, unvoiced, could never reach her.

“Allowing your focus to drift with an enemy before you is most unwise,” the Blood Demon stated.
Cheonma offered no reply, only tightening her grip on her manifested sword.

The Blood Demon watched her with a look of curiosity before speaking again.

“You are dear to me, my daughter, so I will offer you this warning.”

He brought his sword up before him.

“Evade this next strike. If you do not, you will perish.”

Rumble—!!!

A crimson energy started converging at the tip of his blade.
My heart began to hammer wildly at the sight.

‘…What is that?’

I knew instantly—it was annihilation.

That scarlet aura was a manifestation of pure catastrophe.

Screeeech—!!!

It felt as though the energy itself was shrieking.

I had never witnessed such a vicious, concentrated power.
And its scale—it was beyond comprehension.

Just from its appearance, I could sense its density.
But if it looked this terrifying from the outside—

‘The true force within must be many times worse.’

The actual power contained within was likely magnitudes greater.
Even if I defended with all my might, it might not be enough.

The only logical choice was to avoid it.

Sssss—

But Cheonma held her ground, drawing a deep breath as she gathered her energy.

She had no plan to dodge.
The reason was obvious.

‘Because I am here.’

She was shielding me.
I gritted my teeth, my muscles screaming in protest.

Creeak—!

The strain felt bone-snapping.
Could Cheonma actually withstand that attack?
The Blood Demon had said he came to retrieve her, so perhaps he wouldn’t deliver a killing blow.

‘But she will not emerge unharmed.’

If she took it directly, she would be gravely wounded, without a doubt.

‘So.’

I desperately wanted to tell her to move.

Of course, a colder part of me whispered.
If she died from this, one of my most dangerous enemies would be gone.
It was an undeniable fact.

But—

‘Damn it.’

Reason had long been consumed by feeling.

At that moment—

“This technique is named Blood Jade Ghost Ascension,” the Blood Demon said conversationally.

“An old companion of mine gave it that title. Now, receive it.”

Screeeeeech—!!!

The calamity was unleashed.

Though not large in size, it seemed to blot out the heavens.
A ocean of blood began its slow descent.

Creeak—!!

I writhed, forcing my muscles to respond.

Thump-thump! My heart beat louder and faster.

My lips parted.

“…Move…! Get… out of… the way…!”

I barely forced the words out.
The effort sent a violent recoil through my body.

But the issue was—

“No.”

She refused, just as she had before.

Cheonma didn’t even glance back as she answered.
Her stance made it clear: she would not move.

I stared at her back.
A small, seemingly fragile back.

The woman who had once seemed so immense in my past life now appeared so slight.

The energy was almost upon us, nearly touching her.
She had to know that standing there meant being consumed by it.

“I will,” Cheonma said, her voice steady as she focused her power.

“Protect you.”

What was compelling such unwavering resolve?

The idea of a creature I was destined to kill protecting me felt absurd, almost dreamlike.

The world turned scarlet before my eyes.

In that instant—

Buzz.

A surge of power awakened from within me.

“…!”

Abruptly, my hand moved on its own.

Boom—!!!!

***

A choking miasma and malevolent energy saturated the area, leaving the landscape in complete devastation.

Not a single patch of ground was left whole.
While the sky was painted in beautiful sunset colors, the earth below was a grotesque ruin.

The Blood Demon, surveying the destruction, suddenly frowned.

There was one place.

Amid the chaos, one small area was pristine.
The Blood Demon’s eyes locked onto that solitary point.

“Huff….”

A young man was breathing heavily, chest heaving with exhaustion, clutching a girl protectively in his arms—his daughter.

The ground around Gu Yangcheon was remarkably undisturbed, as if his energy had shielded that single spot from the cataclysmic force.

Under other circumstances, the Blood Demon might have laughed at the sight, perhaps even commended the show of tenacity.

“Hah.”

But this time, his frown deepened.

The issue was the fire burning in Gu Yangcheon’s hand.

White flames flickered with a steady, unsettling light.
The power they emanated made the Blood Demon’s skin crawl.

It was because of those flames that he could not smile.

“You are a constant source of astonishment.”

Not once had Gu Yangcheon failed to shatter expectations. It was precisely why the Blood Demon had once labeled him a “fracture,” an anomaly both unpredictable and intriguing.

“But this time, I am genuinely taken aback.”

So much so that he couldn’t even manage his usual smirk.

“This was not what I came to verify…”

The Blood Demon ran a hand through his hair, his crimson eyes glowing with increased intensity.

“Yet to witness this instead… might one call it a fortunate accident?”

Energy began gathering in his hand once more.
He hadn’t come here to kill, only to assess potential. But now, things were different.

“I must eliminate him.”

The decision was final. The Blood Demon moved without hesitation.

Gu Yangcheon, sensing his intent, struggled to react as quickly as possible.

[Cease.]

“Ugh-!”

Hooooong—!!!

The Dragon’ Voice resonated again, solidifying the air around them.
But this time—

“…Hm?”

Gu Yangcheon managed to keep moving.

“How unexpected.”

The Blood Demon narrowed his eyes.
His Dragon’s Voice had failed. There was only one explanation.

“So that is the reason.”

At first, he questioned how a young dragon could resist the command.
Now, he understood.

The Blood Demon’s gaze shifted, moving past Gu Yangcheon to the presence behind him.

“It has been a long time.”

Ssss.

The energy in the Blood Demon’s hand dissolved entirely.

“Had I been slightly quicker, I would have consumed him. I did not anticipate meeting you in this manner.”

Hearing this, Gu Yangcheon frowned and spoke.

“What is this madman babbling about now…?”

Ssshh.

“…!”

Before he could finish, Gu Yangcheon went still.
But not because of Dragon’s Voice.

He felt something—
A soft, warm touch gently encircling his neck.

The sensation was comforting, familiar, and deeply nostalgic.
As if it was something he had longed for and missed for a very long time.

Before he could fully comprehend it, a voice echoed.

[That will not be allowed.]

The Blood Demon smirked upon hearing the voice and uttered a name.

“Mangye (The Myriad Realms).”